A mother with good intentions but a controversial decision is seeking to have the womb of her disabled daughter removed to prevent the 15-year-old girl from suffering from the side effects of menstruation. The two live in Billericay, England, and the mother, Alison Thorpe, is talking to British doctors to see if they are legally able to perform a hysterectomy on daughter Katie Thorpe. Gynaecologist Phil Robarts, a consultant at her local hospital is working to help get Alison Thorpe’s wishes fulfilled. The girl suffers from cerebal palsy and is severely disabled.
Upon hearing the story, a charity that supports disabled rights believes that the action taken could infringe on human rights and set a new precendent for the medical rights of disabled people and those who care for them throughout Britain. Thorpe maintains that the procedure is not about her needs but her daughter’s. She hopes the procedure will improve her daughter’s quality of life without the burden of menstruation.
She also believes that Katie will not understand the discomfort that her body will endure each month with stomach cramps, headaches, and mood swings and that such symptoms will only traumatize her. She says that though the procedure will be initially painful, it will be short-lived pain that can be controlled with painkillers while they know Katie will be in pain instead of being uncertain about how much pain she is in each month.
For related articles visit http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/10/08/hysterectomy/index.html and http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/ukcorrespondents/holysmoke/october2007/katie-thorpe.htm.
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2 users commented in " Mother Seeking To Have Daughter’s Womb Removed "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackBecause of the eugenics sterilizations in the past (i.e. Buck vs Bell) it is almost impossible to sterilize such girls.
But painful and heavy menstruation can be a problem. And often in CP girls, just opening their legs to clean them is a problem…
There are alternatives: birth control pills, or Depo Provera to turn off the cycles. But both can cause emotional outburst and the pill can increase blood clots, a problem with immobile people.
And “endometrial ablation” is another way: cauterize the uterine lining to lessen the amount of bleeding. You still get the PMS but not as much pain or bleeding.
As for hysterectomy, if it could be done laporoscopic vaginal hysterectomy, I’d say it was a good alternative.
Believe me, I went through 30 years of cyclic pain…including surgery, homones, birth control pills, fertility pills, pain killers, and finally a hysterectomy when I was 45.
Hysterectomy for a girl who’s not trying to get pregnant is an alternative…
Where’s the common sense?! The girl does not need the uterus for any reason whatsoever. Having her to endure completely unecessary monthly pain and mess is ridiculous. Giving her drugs to control the bleeding seems more harmful and less civilzed.
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